Green Beans with Tomatoes and Bacon

Pioneer Woman's slow-cooked fresh green beans with tomatoes, bacon, and onions. A great Thanksgiving side!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated September 07, 2022
Elise Bauer
Green Beans with Bacon and Tomatoes
Elise Bauer

If you had told me a week ago that I would cook a batch of fresh green beans for an entire hour and not only would they not be overcooked, but they would be perfectly cooked, I would have given you a quizzical look that said, "really?"

But here we are, and I couldn't be more pleased to share this recipe with you from my friend Ree Drummond's new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays.

Fresh green beans are slowly cooked with bacon, onions, and tomatoes, until just done, which takes about an hour, more or less.

Ree says this is one of her family's favorite Thanksgiving recipes and I can see why! They're absolutely delicious, and super easy to make.

Green Beans with Bacon and Tomatoes
Elise Bauer

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ree, she's the wonderful woman behind the popular blog and Food Network show, The Pioneer Woman. Ree has several best selling books, including cookbooks, a memoir, and children's books.

Her book, A Year of Holidays, starts off with New Year's Day with recipes for black-eyed peas, and traverses the entire year of holidays, including recipes for Valentines, Easter, Mother's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, all with vibrant, beautiful photos. It's a perfect book for special occasion meal planning throughout the year. Way to go, Ree!

More Great Recipes for Green Beans!

Green Beans with Tomatoes and Bacon

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 75 mins
Total Time 90 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ree's original recipe does not include the garlic or thyme. We added them because, why not? Tastes good. Also we halved the recipe, because for everyday meals we don't need to serve 10 to 12. Feel free to double to Ree's original Thanksgiving-worthy proportions.

This recipe also works well in the slow cooker, so I've added instructions for that as well.

Buy fresh, firm green beans—that break when you bend them, not bend like a rubber band—for this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon (about 4 ounces), cut into 1-inch segments

  • 1/2 large onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)

  • 1 clove garlic, minced, optional

  • 1 pound fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed

  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes

  • 1 large sprig fresh thyme, optional

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Method

  1. Cook the bacon until fat begins to render:

    Place the bacon pieces on the bottom of a large, thick-bottomed pot. Heat on medium heat for several minutes until the bacon fat begins to render.

    cook bacon for green beans tomato and bacon
    Elise Bauer
  2. Add the onion, then garlic:

    Add the chopped onion to the bacon. Cook a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic (if using) and cook a minute more. Drain off any excess fat.

    add onions and garlic to bacon in pot
    Elise Bauer
  3. Add the green beans, tomatoes, and spices:

    Add the green beans to the pot. Add the whole, peeled, canned tomatoes and their juices. Add a sprig of thyme to the pot (if using). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

    how to make green beans tomato and bacon
    Elise Bauer
  4. Cover and simmer:

    Cover the pot and lower the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beans are cooked through and tender, stirring occasionally.

    green beans tomato and bacon cooked in pot
    Elise Bauer

    Slow Cooker Instructions If you want to use a slow cooker for step 4, you can easily do so. Just put the cooked bacon and onions from steps 1 and 2, and the beans, tomatoes and spices into a slow cooker and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, depending on your slow cooker, until the beans are completely tender and the tomatoes have broken down.

    Serve!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
148 Calories
7g Fat
14g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 148
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 19mg 6%
Sodium 378mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 23mg 116%
Calcium 55mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 504mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.